Breathe
by Dean Gabriel
Summary: Fate is the daughter of Vaughn and Chelsea, but they divorced years ago and now she lives with Vaughn. Then along comes Sabrina, and Fate suddenly has to deal with the intruder in her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Thanks for taking an interest and clicking on this story. Reviews would be much appreciated. And please tell me if you see any mistakes, I tend to miss them a lot. Credit for the OC Fate goes to Ranranhinotori from Ushi no Tane. Enjoy.**

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><p>Sometimes, when Fate was in that state where you weren't awake but not yet quite asleep, she would think of a strawberry-blonde woman who looked up from a field of growing crops and called out to her. Fate didn't know if she was a memory or just a dream, and she didn't feel comfortable asking her father. But if it was just a dream, it was a nice one. Fate's favourite dreams were of the strawberry-blonde woman. She would have liked her as a mother, she thought.<p>

Her father had a great mistrust of society in general, which affected Fate, too. So it was very weird for her when he brought her out for lunch and introduced him to an old friend by the name of Sabrina.

Fate thought Sabrina was quite pretty, but Sabrina was so friendly, she felt she couldn't trust her. She didn't like people who were always friendly. In her opinion, they were only friendly because they wanted to get something from you.

Understandably, she was shocked when her father said 'Be nice, Fate.'

'Be nice'? Since when had she ever to be nice? Her father had never asked that of her before. But instead of making her warm up to Sabrina, she only frowned more severely at her.

'Your daughter looks like you, Vaughn,' Sabrina said smilingly. 'And she acts like you, too. She doesn't seem to like me, she's glaring at me.' Sabrina was looking at her as if she was really trying to sympathise with her, but Fate wasn't going to fall for it.

'She isn't like me if she doesn't like you,' said Vaughn, looking at Fate in a way that clearly said 'I'm expecting you to behave.' She felt a little hurt that he was putting this strange woman before her.

'Don't be so harsh on her, Vaughn,' said Sabrina. 'I understand how she feels. She's grown up without her mother after all.'

'Yeah,' said Vaughn shortly, and Fate knew it was because he didn't like to discuss her mother. He quickly changed the topic instead. 'How'd you get your father to let you work in city?'

'Oh I left him a note and ran off in the middle of the night,' she said off-handedly.

'Really?'

'Don't you believe me, Vaughn? He replied later with a stern letter about not doing irrational things and that I should go home immediately. I wrote back, and he ended up saying that if I ever ran into any trouble, I was to come straight home. Of course I've had my fair share of troubles but I haven't regretted it. Yet.'

'Where do you work now?'

'I'm the bookkeeper for a grocery chain. It's a good job. I have lots of friends there.'

He hesitated before asking 'Do you have a family now?'

Fate had to wonder why he had paused. Was it a sensitive subject with Sabrina as it was with him, or was he simply unsure of how to phrase the question?

Sabrina turned quite pink when she was prompted, and Fate wanted to laugh. The colour of her face matched her cardigan now.

'N-no. I haven't ment anybody who - who I'm interested in. I'd rather concentrate on my job right now, I think.'

'That's good,' Vaughn said, looking away. 'A romance can't make up for what your career can bring.'

'Vaughn, don't say that,' Sabrina reproached. 'Love can bring all sorts of new colours to life. Personally, I -' and she blushed even harder, '- I'd_ like_ to find somebody who I c-could spend the rest of my life with. I just... haven't had the luck to meet him y-yet.'

He turned to study her face and her eyes dropped to the plate of food in front of her. Fate scowled. She was beginning to feel threatened by Sabrina. Her father seemed so interested in her.

'So you don't have a boyfriend yet either? Ever been asked?'

'Y-yes, I have. But none of them were ever m-more than friends to me, so I - I rejected them.'

'That's good. Don't get into a relationship that has a maybe.'

'Good advice.'

They lapsed into silence for a while. Fate munched on her fries, glaring severely at Sabrina. Maybe this woman was being friendly with her dad because she wanted to fill in the void left by Fate's mother. There had been women who had approached her father, and he had rejected them all, but he was so friendly with_ this_ woman! Why? What was their past together?

It suddenly occurred to her that Sabrina might be her mother, but Fate just as quickly brushed the idea off. Her father hated the very mention of a mother to Fate, he wouldn't act so friendly to her if they met. And besides, he probably wouldn't enter a relationship anytime soon, either. Taking care of just one girl was enough for him, he had said once.

'So what have you and Fate been doing?' said Sabrina, finally breaking the silence.

'The usual,' Vaughn shrugged. 'You know me, I never stay in one place for long. I always meant to leave Sunny Island eventually. Chelsea was just... an unexpexted roadblock that went away by itself in the end anyway.'

Fate started. Who was Chelsea? She had never heard her father talk about anybody named Chelsea before.

'Is that so?' Sabrina murmured. 'That's sad. Even before you and Chelsea got together, I always hoped you had begun to see Sunny Island as home. You were there for quite a while after all.'

'I guess I was,' he replied, as the words 'even before you got together' rung in Fate's head. 'Time flies.' He shrugged. 'I might have felt a little guilty about moving away before because of Mark. Who'd take care of him if I left?'

'Oh _Vaughn_!' cried Sabrina, laughing. 'Mark would try to beat you up for that!'

'He wouldn't dare to,' Vaughn smirked, leaning back in his chair with arms crossed, looking very smug.

It was a rare sight to see her father enjoying himself so thoroughly, Fate thought. He smiled when he brought her out on trips, or went riding with her, but to see him joking so freely was...

That night, as they were resting at the inn, she made a resolution to ask her father for an explanation for _everything_ he had just conversed about with Sabrina. She wasn't too scared of his reaction, despite the couple of times he scolded her for 'asking grown-up questions'. If he could tell a stranger, then he could tell her.

'She is not a stranger,' Vaughn said when she said this aloud. 'She's an old friend. I've known her longer than I've known your mother.'

Mentioning her mother was a first. This day was just full of otherworldly surprises.

'It was a coincidence I met her,' he went on. 'We just bumped into each other while I was out.'

'How did you get to know her in the first place?' she asked. They were both sitting on the bed, and she crept closer to him, all ears. 'Is she a friend of my mom, too?'

Vaughn fixed her with a long stare before saying 'Yes. I've known her for as long as I've known you, plus five years.'

'So that's...' She quietly counted under her breath, 'twelve years. That's a long time. Did you know my mother for that long too?'

'You're asking all the wrong questions,' he sighed, falling back onto his pillows.

'No!' she lay down beside him, on her side so she could look at him. 'Dad, I think I'm old enough for this now! I'm not a little girl anymore.'

'Say that again when you're fourteen,' he said, tweaking her nose and making her laugh. 'Fine. I'll tell you some things. I knew Sabrina for a year longer than I knew your mother.'

'Was her name...' It was a risky question, but today was a day for the unexpected; 'Chelsea? Is that who you were talking about?'

'I was hoping we could avoid this,' he said with a slight frown.

'Well you can't,' she said boldly. She felt relieved when he smiled.

'Yeah. Her name was Chelsea.'

'And was she a farmer with strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and a red bandana?'

He abruptly sat up and stared at her. 'How do you know that?' he demanded.

'I always dream of her,' Fate said as calmly as possible. 'It's nothing much, just her calling out to me, usually from a field of crops or something. You don't believe me,' she added when he continued staring.

'I do,' he said, finally laying back down. 'It's just weird you'd dream that. You were really small when...'

'What happened to her?'

'I can't tell you that yet.'

'Dad!'

'You wouldn't undersatnd.'

'But...!'

'When you're older.'

'I hate that phrase,' she mumbled.

'Don't we all.'

'Okay, fine. Where'd you guys first meet?'

'I used to work on a place called Sunny Island.'

'Who's Mark?'

'An old friend.'

'Never heard of him.'

'I haven't talked to him in almost eight years.'

'Why not?'

'Bed time.'

'Dad, that's cheap.'

'Bed.'

Fate sighed and crawled underneath the covers. Despite all the thinking she wanted to do, she was asleep in five minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

Afterwards, they met Sabrina often. Every week when they visited that town, Vaughn would make a point to visit her, with or without Fate. Despite how close she and her father were, Fate was still wary of Sabrina's intentions.

One day, as they were transporting animals from Bluebell Town to Zephyr Town, he called her over to help him herd the sheep. After they had finished doing this and were leaning on the paddock fence, watching them, he began to say 'Why don't you like Sabrina?'

'Why do _you_ like Sabrina?' she challenged.

'Because she's a good person, Fate. She really wants to be friends with you. I don't understand why you won't let her be.'

'Why does she want to be friends with me?' she asked curiously.

'She'd like to get to know you. What's wrong with that?'

'Were she and my mum close?'

'Yes.'

They were quiet for a while as they watched the animals lazily mill around, waiting for the moment when the bazaar would open and people would come and gawk at them. Perhaps give them a home. The sheep's brushed wool looked very pretty in the sunlight.

'Dad?' she said finally.

'What?'

'Nobody can replace me, right?'

'...Huh?' was the highly intelligent answer.

'I mean, I'm the most important person in your life, right? Nothing will change that, right?'

Vaughn chuckled. 'Is that what's worrying you about Sabrina?' When she didn't answer, he went on 'I don't have ties to Sabrina like I'm tied to you, Fate. That's something nothing can change.'

'You make it sound like you only take care of me because you have to,' she pouted, although she was feeling much better. He hadn't said it, hadn't even hinted at a hint of it, but she knew he meant that yes, she was the most important person to him.

'The bazaar is starting now. Why don't you run off and find something you like?'

She smiled and went, feeling cheered.

This conversation with her father helped very little to appease her mistrust of Sabrina, however. And so, she was properly horrified when her father told her that he would be leaving her in the woman's care for a few days while he went on business.

'But I always follow you when you go on business!' she protested.

'I know, but this is far away, and it would be too expensive to get you a ticket, too.'

'_What_? You know I can stand a far trip! Besides, I hardly even know Sabrina!

'You've known her for four months.'

'This is just a vile plot to force me to get to know her!'

'I wouldn't call it a "vile" plot.'

'You're admitting it!'

'Fate.' He bent down so he was on eye-level with her and looked her straight in the eye. He was being serious. 'I am not _just_ trying to make you like Sabrina. If you don't, that's fine. But I really can't take you this time, okay? It's expensive. You know how tight we are on money. I couldn't do this before because we didn't have any close friends who could take care of you, but we have Sabrina now, and we need every last G we can keep. Is that okay with you now?'

'Fine,' she sighed. 'Get me something nice, okay?'

'I will,' he promised. 'And remember to behave.'

Behave. She always had to behave around Sabrina. It was so unfair.

'_Remember._'

'Okay,' she answered in a defeated tone.

'Good.'

A few days afterwards, she went. She was wearing a frock, something her father had requested. She didn't like frocks - the one she was wearing was her sole frock - but it was only for a day after all. They were going into a fancy part of the city, and they didn't want to look like country bumpkins. They held hands as they walked together to Sabrina's street.

The building she lived in was large and white with a blue roof and flowers on the windowsills. It was like a large mansion, and a single glance told Fate that only the rich and fancy lived in it. Her father wouldn't have been able to rent a room for a day.

'Sabrina lives here?' Fate said, gawking at the building. It was a little intimidating.

'Yeah. Her father has a lot of money.'

'Wow. Dad, you should get lots of money too, then we can live in a pretty room in a big house like this.'

'That would be nice,' he agreed, 'but I don't think I'm ready to give up my wandering days yet.'

'Me neither. But still.'

They made their way into the lobby apprehensively. At least, Fate was apprehensive. She was sure her father was too, but he was hiding it well. The lobby was open, warm and cozy with a crackling fire at one wall, an aquarium at another and all kinds of comforts. To Fate's relief, they quickly found Sabrina, reading a book in a corner.

'Good morning, Vaughn, Fate,' she beamed when they came over to her. 'I hope you're both well today.'

'We are,' Vaughn said, returning the smile. Fate wanted to vomit. 'Thanks for agreeing to take care of Fate for a few days, Sabrina.'

'Oh it's my pleasure,' said Sabrina happily. 'You've - you've always been a good friend to me, Vaughn, and I'm happy to be of service in whatever way I can.'

'Heh, that's nothing. I have to go catch my ferry now, so I'll see you later.' He turned to Fate, and she gave him a reproachful look. He pulled her to himself, hugging her. 'Be good,' he whispered. 'Don't be too harsh on Sabrina.'

'Fine,' she sighed. 'Don't be gone too long.'

'I won't,' he promised. 'Later.' And with that, he was gone. Just like that, with the simplest of words. How typical.


	3. Chapter 3

'Come on, I'll show you my room,' said Sabrina, beckoning to her. A butler appeared and offered to take Fate's bag. She was confused about how to react, until Sabrina nodded at him, so she surrendered it and followed Sabrina.

'Just tell me if there's anything you need,' Sabrina said as they climbed the stairs. 'I have work tomorrow so you can go in and out as you please, but please don't go too far away, alright? I don't know how I'll face your father if I lose you.'

'Alright,' Fate said, pretending not to care.

'The day after that is my day off, so would you like to go anywhere?'

A shrug.

'If you're your father's daughter, you'll love riding as much as he does,' Sabrina said, looking ahead with a reminiscent smile. 'Do you? I have a friend who works on a ranch and I thought I'd bring you there. We could bring lunch, too.'

Fate bit her lip. That sounded very tempting. She and her father hadn't gone riding for a long time, as he was always busy. But she was still reluctant to trust Sabrina. 'I'll think about it,' she said slowly.

'I hope you say yes,' Sabrina said brightly. 'Ah, here we are. Welcome to my little home, Fate. I hope you like it.'

The girl looked up as Sabrina pushed the door open, revealing a wide, spacious lounge. It was fitted not as fancily as Fate had been expecting, but instead, it had a very cosy atmosphere. The walls were covered with books and beautiful watercolours of landscapes. There was a kitchen at one end, and opposite her was a hanging curtain, covering the opening to a corridor. She was sure she was gawking dumbly.

'What do you think?' Sabrina asked, a little shyly. 'As you can see, I'm very fond of books and painting.'

Snapping to her senses, Fate said 'You drew those yourself?'

'Y-yes. They're not much to look at I suppose...'

'They're...' Fate struggled with a word that was both complimentary, but not too friendly. '...pretty good.'

'Do you think so?' Sabrina said happily. 'Here, let me show you your room. Ah look, your bag is already here. I'll just show you around and you can pick it up and put it in your room later.'

They moved past the curtain into the sunlit corridor. A large window encompassing the whole wall stood oppoiste them, and there was a padded window seat lined with plump cushions. There were books on the windowsill, too.

'Does it seem a little much for a bachelorette?' asked Sabrina. 'I just like having my little comforts, you know.'

'I can understand that,' Fate said, the words tumbling out before she could think about them.

'It's good of you to say so,' Sabrina laughed. 'And here, this is your room. You can move it around a little to suit your tastes if you like.'

Sabrina pushed the door open, revealing a bedroom decorated in white. It looked like an angel-in-the-clouds bedroom, was what occurred to Fate. It was quite pretty, although Fate preferred some colour. Not that she ever had any say in how her bedrooms looked. But this was all for her, she didn't have to share it right now. And that beautiful plush bed… she didn't care much for the hangings, but the mattress looked deliciously soft.

'Do you like it?' said Sabrina.

'Uh… It's… um… a lot more than I'm used to…? I mean, it's nice, I just…' She shrugged a little helplessly.

'Oh I think I understand what you mean,' Sabrina said, looking relieved at what was presumably a satisfactory assessment. 'It's okay, just make yourself at home. I'll make tea for us in the kitchen, join me when you're ready, alright?' And she left.

Fate waited until Sabrina's footsteps faded away before she began to ransack the room. She took out drawers and rifled through them; and upended boxes she found in the wardrobe. She carefully replaced each one – she didn't want Sabrina to know she had been nosing around, although this _was_ her room for the rest of the week. She was disappointed in her search, however, until she came to the dresser.

The frame of the mirror was a little cracked, evidence of use. Fate assumed that it was Sabrina's old one, put in the guest room after it was replaced. Opening the drawer, Fate found a long, slender box. She opened it, and stared at the contents.

It was a blue feather. Not what she had been expecting at all. Had somebody proposed to Sabrina a while ago? If so, what was it doing in the guest room drawer? Maybe she had rejected the proposal, but kept a keepsake. Glancing at the door briefly, she took out the feather and turned it over in her hands. When she did so, she noticed a small chain tied tightly around its base. There was a note attached to the chain. It read 'From Chelsea; for the love of forever.'

Her heart began beating very fast. 'From Chelsea'… her mother? She and Sabrina had been close before, hadn't they? What was this feather doing here? She couldn't understand it at all…

She put the feather back inside the box and closed the drawer. Fate wondered if it would be okay to ask Sabrina few questions. Sabrina didn't have any restricting bonds to her father, so she might be able to answer them.

During tea, she continued pondering this while Sabrina tried to converse with her. The woman was asking her semi-personal questions like her favourite towns that she had visited, and the kind of things she liked to do with her father. Fate answered them a little absently, not paying much attention to the answers she gave.

Perhaps Sabrina noticed she was looking a little vague, as she said after a while 'Are you tired, Fate? I imagine you went a ways to get here. If you'd like to rest, go ahead. I have a little work to catch up with myself. And there are plenty of books if you'd like to entertain yourself – and –'

At that moment, to Fate's surprise and delight, a cat appeared from the direction of the corridor, meowing loudly. Sabrina smiled at it, saying, 'This is Maya, my housecat. She'll be here for your entertainment, too.'

The cat meowed again and Fate was immediately on her knees, a smile on her face as she began to scratch its ears. She still had three days with Sabrina after all, she thought. She could afford to forget about snooping around for a little while.

Sabrina was gone early the next day. She lingered long enough only to give Fate her breakfast, advise her not to wander around too much, and not to worry about locking up as the building was completely secure. She then promised to bring lunch, and with an apology for having to hurry, she ran off.

Fate sat nibbling on toast for a while, watching Maya bat a crumpled up newspaper around. Maya was still a kitten, so she was still very playful. Fate watched her with a smile.

'I wonder what I'll find today?' she said aloud as if trying to talk with Maya. 'I hope Sabrina doesn't lock up her bedroom. Does she?'

Maya's only answer was to tug at the ball of newspaper with her teeth.

'Better now than never I guess. Or Sabrina will catch me.' She dropped off her chair and went.


	4. Chapter 4

To Fate's relief, the bedroom door was unlocked. Sabrina's room was wide, and much more richly furnished than the guest room. The bed and hangings were in several shades of purple, and there was a sparkling pink diamond on the dresser. The wall opposite the door was covered in books, but the rest was adorned with portraits. She walked up to survey each portrait carefully.

The first one she saw was of Sabrina and a golden-haired man sitting at the beach. Another depicted a short man at a large desk; Fate thought he looked like some illustration of Dracula. There was even one of Sabrina and her father, him smiling shyly at her as they sat on a harbour. Perhaps it was only the way the painter drew him, but Fate had never seen him with that expression before.

On the dozenth picture, Fate struck gold. Her heart stopped as she stared at a painting of a woman with long blonde hair – and her companion was a strawberry-blonde woman wearing a red bandana. Fate's heart beat very fast. It was her mother Chelsea, she was sure of it. She and the woman shared the same indigo eyes, and she thought they might have the same cheeks, too.

'Mom...' she whispered, reaching out to touch the painting. The colours were so vivid, Fate felt as if it were another world she could have stepped into. For a minute, she wished it _was_ a world she could have visited so she could have talked to the woman, asked her why she had left her...

Three more paintings held Chelsea: one had her throwing a beach ball, one with her arm around Sabrina, and one in a group picture with her, the blonde lady, another blonde woman who wore a blouse tied at her navel, a redhead, Sabrina, and another raven-haired woman. Fate looked carefully at each picture, and ran her hand over one or two of them, wondering.

She jumped in alarm when she felt something brush against her leg. It was only Maya, of course, but it still left her heart beating harder than ever. As if she wasn't nervous enough about sneaking into Sabrina's room.

Perhaps if she were anybody else, she would have looked underneath the bed first. But since she never had a permanent bed to hide things under, it didn't occur to her. Instead, she went to the desk. The drawers were locked, to her disappointment. But it was probably because they held important documents, not mentions of the past, Fate mused.

Next she opened the wardrobe. Sabrina had a wide assortment of dresses, gowns, and frocks. Fate sat on her heels and pushed aside trains and hems to search the floor. There were two boxes, but they only held ribbons and other accessories. She carefully shut the wardrobe doors and went to the bedside table.

Here, the drawers were full of letters in envelopes with broken seals. The envelopes came in all colours and sizes, but none were letters of business as far as Fate could see. She picked up a turquoise envelope and took out the letter. The return address was 'Sunny Island', and the date was recent, only three days ago. It was signed 'Lanna'.

Sunny Island was where her mother had lived... Fate was beginning to feel overwhelmed. What if her mother was still alive? She had always assumed it was painful for her father to talk about her mother out of affection, because she had passed away, but if that wasn't the case? What if Sabrina had a letter from her here? They'd been close, after all.

Fate began to hurriedly open letter to look at signatures before stuffing them back inside. There was one from 'Regis', two from 'Will', and one from 'Mark'. And then she found it. A letter signed 'Love, Chelsea'.

Heart beating in her ears, she began to road. It was signed from two weeks ago.

_Dear Sabrina,_

_Nice to hear your work's going well. We had a storm yesterday and I couldn't sleep worrying about my chickens. They're okay though, just a little shaken. We all are. Storms are scary._

_Anyway, about your letter, I assure you I don't have any more feelings for Vaughn. I still care about him, but I'm past him now, so don't worry. And even if I weren't, I would be now. Sabrina, I think _you're_ in love with him! As a matter of fact, I've assumed that even before I married him. Hehe, I hope it's not true, though. I'd feel bad. I just liked him so much then. But if you do like him now, then by all means, go for it!_

_Reading your descriptions of Fate make me sad, though. I miss her. She was destined to grow into a sweet kid. I mean, just look at her mother! Hah, just kidding. I wish I could see her though. I was so mad when Vaughn won custody of her. What she needs is a mother, not a stoic father who can't stay still in one place. But I guess from what you've said, she's grown up alright. Watch over her for me, okay?_

_Sorry, I think I've said that so many times already! Take your time about asking Vaughn if he's told her about me. I don't think he ever did. But I'd like to know. I wish I could explain to her myself what happened between Vaughn and I. He'd make me sound like the villain, I know it. I don't want her to think like that about me. Why don't _you_ try talking to her about me, Sabrina? At least you're neutral about it._

The rest of the letter was about other people living on the island. Fate studied the signature, blinking back tears.

So her mother _was_ alive. And she and her father had broken up over something. 'He'd make me sound like the villain', Chelsea had written. Did that mean it was Vaughn's fault, then? What had happened between them? Did they have a fight? Why had she ended up with her father and not her mother?

Her head was spinning so fast, she needed to lie down. She carefully put the letter back, then walked to her room and threw herself down on the bed. She pressed the cool pillow to her face, trying to get rid of her headache. She felt faint.


	5. Chapter 5

When Fate opened her eyes, the afternoon sun was streaming in through the window. She had fallen asleep. Her head felt better now, and she had made a resolution. Tonight, she would talk to Sabrina.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Fate called out 'Come in!'

Sabrina poked her head in. 'Ah, you're awake. When I came back, you had a temperature, I was afraid you were sick. How are you feeling now?'

'Better,' Fate answered, sitting up. 'I was just... reading, and I got a headache.'

'Poor thing,' she said sympathetically. 'I'm glad you're better. Would you like to eat now?'

'Yes please.'

Eating helped even more, and by the time she was finished, Fate felt cheered and resolved to read more letters after Sabrina had gone back to work. But then, just one letter _was_ ammunition enough, she thought, to attack her father on the subject. Maybe she'd end up meeting Chelsea. There was no hope of putting her family back together, she knew that, but getting to know her mother might give her some semblance of it.

'Will you go anywhere after this?' Sabrina asked.

'No, I think I'll go back to reading,' said Fate nonchalantly. The question didn't bother her; she wasn't lying, and besides, Sabrina had never said she couldn't go into her room.

'Alright. I do like to see the younger generation having an interest in reading.'

She left shortly afterwards. Fate paused to scratch a sleeping Maya behind the ears before going back to Sabrina's room, and opening the bedside table drawer again.

While she was rummaging through the letters, it occurred to her she wasn't 'behaving' as her father wanted her to do. She felt guilty about disobeying him, but, she reasoned, it was partly his fault. He was the one who had always refused to tell her about her mother after all. And their separation might have been completely his fault. She could imagine him losing his temper and storming out of the house, never to return.

Fate couldn't keep track of the number of letters she read. She might have read six months' worth of letters. Sabrina and Chelsea kept close correspondence and exchanged letters every week. Chelsea spoke often about other villagers until Fate felt that she knew them, perhaps not intimately, but as distant cousins. Occasionally, Chelsea mentioned that she was missing Fate, or wondering where she had gone wrong with Vaughn. Fate wondered the latter too, but no reason was ever mentioned.

After reading perhaps thirty letters, the sun was beginning to set, so she closed the drawer and went out into the corridor. She looked out of the window as she stretched her stiff limbs. Sabrina had a lovely view of the city. Fate had her nose pressed to the window, trying to put names to places when Sabrina returned.

'Good evening, Fate!' Sabrina called out as she entered and shut the door.

'Hi, Sabrina,' Fate answered, getting down from the window seat and walking out. 'Are you done with work? What's for dinner?'

'Yes I am, and I think we'll eat out. What do you think?'

'Sounds great,' she said cheerfully. 'I'll wait for you to change.'

'Thank you, Fate,' Sabrina smiled widely and disappeared.

Fate sat down on the couch next to Maya to wait. She was feeling and odd sense of goodwill towards Sabrina at present. Perhaps it was the letters in which her mother spoke so affectionately, she thought. _Both_ her parents liked Sabrina, and Chelsea had never appeared worried about Sabrina stealing Vaughn's affections, so it would probably be okay for Fate to trust her. Sabrina was nice enough, and everybody could do with a nice friend, right?

They ate at the fanciest restaurant Fate had ever been to. Not that she had too much opportunity to eat at fancy restaurants. But the food was good, the ambience was nice, and Sabrina was friendly, as usual.

'So would you like to go out riding tomorrow?' Sabrina asked.

'Yeah I guess we will. Will you ride, too?'

'Yes I will. I was taught when I was young, and your father and I went together sometimes, back before he was married. He always made riding so much fun.' She smiled reminiscently. Fate allowed her half a minute's worth of nostalgia before speaking again.

'How did you and my dad become friends?' she asked, feeling it was a pretty safe question, particularly in comparison to the others she had buzzing in her mind.

Sabrina was suddenly quite bashful and turned red. 'U-uuhmm... well... ab-about th-that... it was...' Fate raised an eyebrow. Maybe Sabrina was in love with Vaughn after all, like Chelsea had said. 'Well... I was ill one day... the first time h-he spoke to me properly... I was sick and he... offered to ac-accompany me home. Well...' She might have blushed harder, Fate couldn't tell. 'He didn't really give me a choice. He was so kind about it.'

'Oh.' That was unexpected. Fate didn't think her father was the type to rescue damsels in distress. As a matter of fact, he barely batted an eye when a colleague asked for help.

'Th-the week after, I-I went to him to thank him and we've... been friends ever since. And I'm very grateful. Vaughn is... a very good friend.'

'Why did he stop working at Sunny Island?'

'He didn't tell you?' asked Sabrina with mild surprise. Fate shook her head. 'I see. I'm not sure I'm the one who should tell you this, though.'

'Why not?' Fate asked although she already knew the answer.

'Because... it concerns Chelsea, your mother.'

'So you're the best person to tell me, because my dad might be biased. You're friends with both of them, so you'd have a middle point of view.' She chose her words carefully, so as to not make it clear what her activities during the day had been. 'Never mind Dad. I'm old enough to know.'

'Say that again when you're fourteen,' Sabrina chuckled softly.

The statement struck Fate. It was exactly what her father had said, months ago when she had first met Sabrina and wanted to know about her and Chelsea.

'Alright, I'll tell you when we get back, okay?'

Fate hurried through the rest of her dinner, impatient to hear the story. Finally, she would learn some home truths about herself and her family. She intended to stay up all night interrogating Sabrina.

They were quiet as they walked back to Sabrina's rooms. At least, Sabrina didn't open her mouth, and Fate had no inclination for meaninglyess conversation. At the apartment, Fate went to her bedroom, and ten minutes later, Sabrina came in, wearing a nightgown.

'May I sit on the bed?' she asked. Fate nodded and Sabrina sat facing her, her legs crossed. 'This will be fun! It's been a while since I've had a girls night.'

'Uh... yeah.' Fate had no idea what a 'girls' night' was.

'Alright, I'm ready. What do you want to know?'


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't always end a chapter with a cliffhanger, but when I do, I don't update for one month.**

Fate had been ready for the past hour. 'What happened between my mum and dad?' she asked eagerly. 'I know she didn't die, so what happened to her?'

'Did Vaughn tell you that she is still alive?'

Oops. 'Um, well, you're friends with her and uh, the, er, casual way you talk about her with Dad – I mean, if she was dead, you probably... wouldn't talk like that about her...' It was lame, but it worked, apparently, as Sabrina relaxed.

'I see. I didn't expect you to be so perceptive.'

And Fate didn't expect Sabrina to be so gullible.

'Where to start... you know, it was Chelsea who proposed to Vaughn. He had never even considered that he might have had feelings for her before then.'

'Wh-what?'

'Yes. It was your mother who fell in love and struggled to win his affection. Even now, we wonder if she succeeded.'

'What do you mean?' Fate frowned. 'Of course she did. He married her, right?'

'It's... not that simple, Fate,' Sabrina said slowly. 'How do I say it...? Do you remember the first time we met and your father said "Don't get into a relationship that has a maybe"? It was like that for him. There were a lot of maybes.'

'For example...'

'Well, when she suddenly proposed to him, he probably thought something like "Chelsea and I are friends so maybe it won't be bad if we become more" or "Maybe it's time I settled down after all".'

'I – I don't understand. You either like or don't like somebody, right?'

'Oh dear!' Sabrina cried, looking flustered. 'I'm trying to explain love to an eight-year-old! It's – well it's different when you want to marry somebody – like, there are lots of kinds of love, love for family, love for friends, and love for someone you want to marry. You'll understand when you're older.'

If Fate wasn't so eager to hear more, she would have scowled at the phrase 'when you're older'. 'So my dad felt for her as a friend, but couldn't love her like a husband?'

'That's right.'

It was still a weird concept to her, but she let it slide. 'And then what?'

'They began fighting. Everybody could see the strain it put on them. And Vaughn... he began avoiding her as much as possible. Chelsea told me he didn't even come home for the Starry Night Festival.'

Fate's hands clenched the bed sheets. So it _was_ her father's fault.

'But, well, this is my opinion so don't quote me, alright? They were both at fault. Chelsea... I don't think she was in love with Vaughn for who he is, but who she wanted him to be. He looked like he was perfect so she made him out to be in her mind.'

'You're wrong!' Fate said loudly, anger bubbling up inside her. 'My mother wouldn't do that! You don't have any right to say that!'

Sabrina looked surprised. 'I – I'm sorry. You're right Fate, I shouldn't have. I... forgive me? It's just that...' She shrugged apologetically, looking away. 'Chelsea asked me that herself, so many times. But she never wanted an honest answer – oh dear, there I go again.'

Still glaring, Fate said 'What makes you think that anyway?'

'Because Chelsea said it herself,' Sabrina answered, turning back to her. 'She said to me one day "He's not acting like who I thought he is at all".'

'And Dad? Why is he at fault?'

'Well you know about him and his relationship maybes. And he didn't want to be tolerant.' Sabrina focused on a thread of wool on her gown and picked on it. 'He could be a good husband. I know that.'

Silence fell for a while.

'Do you have a picture of Chelsea?' Sabrina asked finally.

'No. If I did, my dad would burn it.'

'Oh dear,' Sabrina smiled sadly. 'Just hang on and let me show you something.' She left. Fate assumed it would be one of the pictures from her wall, but instead she came back with a faded yellowing picture.

'Look at that. Isn't it pretty?'

Fate looked. It was a simply but beautifully coloured sketch of a couple on their wedding day. She snatched the picture from Sabrina to look at it more closely. It was her father – but he looked different. A little mellow, perhaps. Or maybe... peaceful? And on his arm was Chelsea. Her hair was done up and she wore a beautiful white gown. Her face was pleasantly flushed.

'There wasn't a single person that day who was wishing them anything but happiness,' Sabrina said. 'A lot of people were surprised though. Would you like to keep it?'

'Oh.' Fate would have liked that, but she was afraid of her father finding it. He might become angry. She shrugged. 'It's fine, I don't want it.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah.' As she stared at her feather wearing a blue tuxedo and a cravat, she suddenly remembered something. She handed the photo back saying 'Oh yeah, I found a blue feather inside my dresser. It says "From Chelsea".'

'Ah, that thing. Chelsea told me to hold on to it while she healed when Vaughn asked for divorce.'

'Divorce... how did I end up with Dad anyway? It sounds like it was his fault in the first place, so why would he want me?'

'Because you're his daughter, Fate,' Sabrina said gently. 'Even if he couldn't stand Chelsea anymore, he loves you. I think he was afraid that you would become Chelsea's next victim. I – I'm not saying he's right though!'

'Do _you_ think he's right?'

'I don't know, Fate,' Sabrina said a little helplessly.

'Fine.' Fate drew her knees to her chest, thinking hard. She had learnt so many new things today, and not all of it was things she wanted to know. She was beginning t o see her father in a whole new light.

'But... Fate...?'

'What?'

'You won't let that get in between you and your father, will you? He made a mistake with Chelsea, but I think he's grateful it happened anyway because he has you now.'

'I guess,' Fate said a little slowly.

'It's in the past. Even Chelsea's forgiven him now.'

'Do you keep in touch with her?' Fate asked, even though she already know the answer.

'Yes. We exchange letters every week.'

'I'd like to meet her.'

'Hmm... I wonder.'

Sabrina then glanced at the wall clock and gave a start. 'Would you look at the time!' she cried. 'I'm keeping you from your sleep. We're going riding tomorrow, aren't we?'

'Sure.'

'Alright. Good night, Fate.'

'Night.' Fate curled up underneath the sheets as Sabrina turned off the lights, but it was a while before she could fall asleep.


End file.
